Your Mark On The World

July 10, 2014 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1xU2cJv. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Over 15 million people in the world are living as refugees. According to Emily Arnold-Fernandez, the executive director of Asylum Access, the average time in a refugee camp is now almost 20 year. “Less than 1% of refugees reach the US, Canada, Europe and Australia combined each year,” she says. “In many places, refugees aren’t allowed to move freely, work, attend school, or open a bank account, so they can’t rebuild their lives. They’re forced to depend on aid.” Tweet: “Less than 1% of refugees reach the US, Canada, Europe and Australia combined.” -@asylumaccess via @devindthorpe http://ctt.ec/w0knA+ Emily says, “Asylum Access is changing this, by focusing on refugees’ rights. We believe that when refugees enjoy their rights, they can fulfill their own

July 3, 2014 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1jLm9tt. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Recently, I profiled the SOURCE partnership among Village Capital, the Hitachi Foundation and Investor’s Circle. SOURCE, Solutions from Our Country’s Entrepreneurs seeks to stimulate social entrepreneurship through a competitive process that provides seed capital to curated and cultivated mission-driven ventures. The first cohort is focused on financial services for low wealth populations and two companies have been chosen. The top two are WiseBanyan, a service to help people begin investing with no fee and as little as $10, and eMoneyPool, a platform to facilitate pooling money to foster savings as an alternative to payday loans. More about Village Capital: Village Capital builds enterprises that solve the world’s most pressing problems through a unique peer invest

July 3, 2014 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1o3v0be. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. The crowdfunding site for social entrepreneurs, StartSomeGood, is running a crowdfunding campaign on its own site, calling it a pop up shop, offering a variety of goodies for mission-driven people who are keen to do good. Among the goodies offered are a number of ebooks, including my book, Crowdfunding for Social Good, which includes a few stories gleaned from the StartSomeGood site. Other items include shirts and posters. StartSomeGood plans to use the proceeds to support technology upgrades for the site. More about StartSomeGood: We exist to empower you to become a social innovator. By providing social entrepreneurs, changemakers and non-profits with the tools you need to rally your community and raise funds, together we can turn ideas into action an

July 3, 2014 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1qvyaL1. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Every year 58,000 babies die from maternal and neonatal tetanus or MNT, all in the developing world. UNICEF, with support from Procter and Gamble’s Pampers, is working to eliminate MNT around the world. The battle against MNT in Indonesia is nearing its end. The partnership between Pampers and UNICEF is an example of growing and powerful trend for corporations to be significantly and actively involved in solving social problems. The tie between Pampers and saving babies is obvious and clearly stands to benefit the brand as well as the babies, but that doesn’t make the financial support less helpful. UNICEF praises Pampers for its long-term support of the initiative, noting that “sustained financial resources” are required to successfully eliminate the disease and to

June 26, 2014 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1iHJXn1. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Bishop Rodney Sampson, serial entrepreneur, community leader, author of Kingonomics, and a good friend of mine, is using Georgia’s unique crowdfunding exemption to sell financial interests in an entrepreneurial coworking space in downtown Atlanta called the Opportunity Hub. He and his team have plans to roll out the model in other cities in the around the Southeast. Rodney was also gracious enough to write the foreword to Crowdfunding for Social Good. Rodney will also be speaking at the upcoming Social Enterprise and Crowdfunding Conference (SECFC14) on September 26, 2014 at Snowbird. Rodney’s bio: Rodney Sampson is a social innovator, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, published author, and consecrated bishop. Via his Episcopal affiliations with the

June 26, 2014 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/UKgSfP. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Ten-year-old Vivienne Harr is working with 89-year-old Olga Murray to end child slavery in Nepal. As I’ve reported previously, Harr launched her campaign nearly two years ago in response to tragic Lisa Kristine images she’d seen depicting children in slavery. Murray, an American immigrant from Transylvania, had a successful law career and then launched a second career to help poor children in Nepal who are too often victims of slavery. Harr and Murray, recently announced their collaboration. Harr’s Make a Stand lemonade, led by her father Eric Harr, has pledged to help Murray’s organization, the Nepal Youth Foundation, raise the money needed to empower young people in Nepal to break free of slavery. The Freed Kamlari Development Forum, a Nepalese nonprofit, has prov

June 26, 2014 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1s6DuWD. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Todd Stevens, founder and managing director of Renewable Tech Ventures, who will be speaking at the Social Enterprise and Crowdfunding Conference on September 26, 2014 at Snowbird in Salt Lake City, has been having impact through his investments for years. More about Renewable Tech Ventures: RenewableTech Ventures is committed to creating exceptional returns for both the entrepreneurs we invest in and our fund investors. These exceptional returns are achieved by investing in early stage and growth stage energy innovations in renewable energy, clean technology, energy conservation, green materials and other clean technologies. Our investment activity is focused in the Rocky Mountain region of Canada and the United States. This region is an area rich in en

June 24, 2013 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/12lzw9A. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Having now done more live interviews here on my blog than I can count, I’m more excited than ever to have crowdfunding celebrity and expert Richard Bliss of the “Funding the Dream on Kickstarter” podcast with us today. Bliss is a career marketer with deep experience in social media and crowdfunding. He is the Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Social Tech Media. He will share with us his insights from his work as a crowdfunding coach and consultant on countless successful crowdfunding campaigns. Bliss’s recent guests on his podcast include Seth Godin, filmmaker Doug Morse, and Brian Fargo, who raised $2 million on Kickstarter. We’ll ask Bliss to take was he’s learned about Kickstarter and apply it to the needs and interests of social entrepreneurs and nonp

June 19, 2014 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1nkd3WG. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Francis Battista grew up in metropolitan New York and now lives in a rural part of Utah that most Utahns couldn’t find on a map and have never visited. This self-described misfit helped found the Best Friends Animal Society, operating the largest no-kill animal sanctuary for companion animals in the United States and has become a key thought leader in the no-kill movement. When Best Friends Animal Society was launched, 17 million animals were euthanized in the United States every year. Battista is leading a crusade to “save them all.” Battista will also be sharing his insights at the Social Enterprise and Crowdfunding Conference, which I am organizing, on September 26, 2014. More about the Best Friends Animal Society: Every day, more than 9,000 dogs and cats are

January 8, 2014 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1diEfUM. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Antony Bugg-Levine, CEO of the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Nonprofit Finance Fund, manages $80 million of impact investments. He is also the author of Impact Investing: Transforming How We Make Money While Making a Difference. Bugg-Levine’s bio: Antony Bugg-Levine is the CEO of Nonprofit Finance Fund, a national nonprofit and financial intermediary that unlocks the potential of mission-driven organizations through tailored investment, strategic advice, and accessible insights. In this role, he oversees more than $340million of investment capital and a national consulting practice, and works with a range of philanthropic, private sector and government partners to develop and implement innovative approaches to financing social change. Mr. Bugg

February 2, 2014 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1afJAf5. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. When Mark Tercek took the reigns as CEO of The Nature Conservancy in 2008 he brought a new perspective. As a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, Tercek’s career evolved into a focus on sustainability, recognizing the vast economic value of nature and the ability of business to actually contribute profitably to the health of the planet. In Tercek’s book, Nature’s Fortune, How Business and Society Thrive in Nature, he explains how his experiences at Goldman Sachs and at TNC prove that protecting the environment makes economic sense. For example, he called attention to a shift in attitude at CocaCola, noting that in 2002 water was not listed as an important input in its annual report and by 2012, water had become a key focus. CocaCola has adopted a policy of “replenis

June 12, 2014 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1s6xNrP. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Kathryn Pisco recently took a year off from her career to travel the world, often doing volunteer work along her journey with her husband. When she returned, she decided to launch a social venture to help others like her have even better experiences when volunteering abroad. She calls her venture Unearth the World. More about Unearth the World: Unearth the World is an international volunteer placement company that focuses on volunteer education (pre and post-trip), community impact and financial transparency. We partner with nonprofits that address social problems and connect them with volunteers to help them complete their mission. We also provide coaching to the volunteer upon their return to help them adjust to normal life and continue to be involved

June 12, 2014 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1ipDCXW. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. RBC has committed $50 million to improving global access to clean water. Each year, RBC holds a “Blue Water Day” on which employees engage in local water projects in their communities. RBC reports that past projects have included: -Planting trees to manage runoff -Shoreline cleanups to keep solid waste out of rivers -Street cleanups, recognizing that 20% of “street litter” ultimately ends up in rivers, lakes and streams On June 12, 2014, RBC will be conducting its annual Blue Water Day. More about RBC Wealth Management: World Economic Forum named RBC among the most sustainable large organizations in the world. RBC has also been named one of “Canada’s Greenest Employers,” one of “Canada’s Best Diversity Employers,” one of “Canada’s Most Socially Responsible Corpor

June 12, 2014 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1s6vJjJ. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Nick Fusso is the program director for the D-Prize, a $20,000 contest among social entrepreneurs to find effective distribution strategies for actually getting poverty interventions into the hands of those that can best use them. More about D-Prize: Our world has already invented many effective poverty solutions. Sadly, most are not *distributed* to actual people in need. Millions of peoples’ lives would improve if they had access to proven energy, education, health, and other interventions. D-Prize challenges entrepreneurs to solve this problem. Design a new social enterprise and share your idea in our competition. The most promising will receive up to $20,000 in seed capital to launch a pilot. Nick’s bio: Nicholas directs D-Prize in San Francisco.

March 25, 2014 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1hWBxma. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Just today, Forbes ran a piece documenting the abysmal share of venture capital allocated to women. The Calvert Foundation is working actively to change that dynamic with its “WIN-WIN” or Women Investing in Women Initiatives program, which has invested over $20 million in women. The investments vary from micro loans to women entrepreneurs to million dollar loans to nonprofits that support women and families. Most of the money, about 80 percent, has been invested here in the U.S., with the balance being scattered around the world. Pryce’s bio: Jennifer Pryce is President and CEO of Calvert Foundation. Ms. Pryce brings nearly 20 years of finance and community development experience to her role. She previously served as Calvert Foundation’s U.S. Portfolio Manager and

June 2, 2014 - Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1kzcR2L. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Two nonprofit leaders in philanthropic education, networking and thought leadership have merged to create single, leading entity to guide philanthropists. The Institute for Philanthropy, based in London and New York, joined forces with the Philanthropy Workshop West, based in San Francisco, to create The Philanthropy Workshop. Glen Galaich, previously with the Philanthropy Workshop West, will serve as the CEO of the combined entity; Tracy Mack Parker, previously with the Institute for Philanthropy, will serve as The Philanthropy Workshop’s executive vice president. More about the Philanthropy Workshop: The Philanthropy Workshop (TPW) is global network of more than 300 philanthropists—all trained in strategic philanthropy—the largest of its kind and unique to the fiel

May 29, 2014 - Read the full article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1pyarq2. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes. Smile Train recently celebrated its 1 millionth cleft palate surgery. The remarkable milestone was reached after the organization created a global organization by teaching local doctors to perform the surgery. Unrepaired cleft palates are not just a cosmetic problem, but often leave children with difficulty eating, breathing and speaking. In the developing world, failure to have the birth defect corrected can have life altering consequences. More about Smile Train: Smile Train is an international children’s charity with a sustainable approach to a single, solvable problem: cleft lip and palate. Millions of children in developing countries with unrepaired clefts live in shame, but more importantly, have difficulty eating, breathing and speaking. Cleft repair surgery is simple, and the transformation is immediate. Smile Train’s sustai

May 14, 2014 - Read the Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1jETx8D. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. While tech entrepreneurship continues to be dominated by men (see Cheryl Snapp Conner’s piece), women appear to be playing a larger role in the crowdfunding ecosystem. Note that Sally Outlaw, included in this article, is one of my clients. There is a growing list of influential women leading the crowdfunding industry. Sara Hanks, CEO of CrowdCheck, Jilliene Helman, CEO of Realty Mogul, Jenny Kassan, CEO of Cutting Edge Capital, Lesley Mansford, CEO of Razoo, Sally Outlaw, CEO of Peerbackers, Danae Ringelmann, Co-founder of Indiegogo, Joy Schoffler, CEO of Leverage PR, and Joanna Schwartz, CEO of EarlyShares will all join me for a live discussion about the crowdfunding industry.

October 24, 2013 - Read the Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1hcwY8Q. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes. Yesterday the Securities and Exchange Commission voted to approve its first rules under Title III of the 2012 JOBS Act governing crowdfunding. Experts Jilliene Helman of Realty Mogul, a crowdfunding site for real estate investments, Doug Ellenoff, a securities lawyer specializing in crowdfunding law, Ryan Feit of SeedInvest, and Bill Clark of MicroVentures will join me for a live discussion and instant reaction to the proposed rules at 11:00 AM Eastern today, October 24, 2013. The following is my summary of Title III of the JOBS Act adapted from my book, Crowdfunding for Social Good. The law limits businesses that raise money through crowdfunding to $1 million of crowdfunded investments per twelve month period. The SEC is likely to clarify when such periods start and end, though such limits may not be part of the rules issued t

May 1, 2015 - Read the Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://onforb.es/1kf1IV2. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes. The world is replete with people who have identified problems, some of whom have even had ideas–often great ideas–for addressing those problems. Much less often do we encounter people who just jump in and do something. Elizabeth Dearborn Hughes is one of those rare people who jumped right in. After graduating from Vanderbilt University she moved to Rwanda where so co-founded Amani Africa to provide scholarships to street children. In 200, she and her husband Dave Hughes launched the Akilah Institute to provide college-level education to African women. Now with campuses in Rwanda and Burundi, she plans to open campuses across Africa. The Institute offers courses in subjects that are in need in the communities where they are located. Subjects include entrepreneurship, hospitality and information systems. More about the Akilah Institu